Are Credit Card Processing Fees Negotiable?

Some credit card processing fees are negotiable, and some aren’t. Before you call another processor to ask the unpromising question, “What’s your rate?” we encourage you to read this article, which explains how to actually reduce your credit card processing cost.

Does your credit card processing fees distribution look like:

OR

Before you can negotiate better credit card processing fees, you have to know which fees are flexible. Credit card processing is like any other industry in that there are fixed costs and markups. Fixed costs are those that a processor can’t change, and markups are open to discussion.

Understanding the components of credit card processing cost is the first step toward negotiating competitive fees. The second step, as we will explain in a moment, is to not negotiate fees before negotiating pricing. It may sound like the same thing, but there is an important difference.

Components of Credit Card Processing Cost

The three components of credit card processing cost are Interchange Fees, Assessments and Markups.

Interchange Fees (Not Negotiable)

Interchange fees remain the same no matter which credit card processor you choose, and no processor can offer you lower interchange rates than another. Interchange fees are charged by the banks that issue credit cards, and only the stakeholders of Visa, MasterCard and Discover (card-issuing banks) can update interchange. This should be the lion’s share of your cost.

Assessments (Not Negotiable)

Visa, MasterCard and Discover charge various assessment fees when businesses accept one of their credit or debit cards. Like interchange, a business will pay the exact same assessment charges regardless of which credit card processor it uses. All processors pay the exact same assessment fees to Visa, MasterCard and Discover.

Markups (Negotiable)

The only area of credit card processing expense that is negotiable is the markup above interchange and assessments. The processing markup includes the processor’s rates, credit card transaction fees, monthly fees, and any fees associated with software, gateways or processing equipment. The markup is where you want to focus your negotiating power because it’s the only area of expense you can change.

Distribution of Processing Cost

The goal when negotiating credit card processing fees is to get the markup portion of expense as low as possible in relation to fixed components of cost (interchange & assessments). A markup of 12% – 20% is considered very competitive.

The graph below represents the distribution of credit card processing expense for a business that has competitive pricing. As you can see, interchange fees that go to card-issuing banks account for the majority of charges, followed by the processor’s markup, and then assessments that go to the card brands (Visa, MasterCard and Discover).

Your goal is to negotiate processing fees so the distribution of cost looks similar to this graph.
The following graph represents the cost distribution of a business that does not have competitive credit card processing pricing. As you can see, the processing markup accounts for the majority of expense, and it is a negotiable area of cost.

This graph represents the typical cost distribution of a business before it uses 1 Quest Payment to lower its credit processing fees.

Negotiate Pricing First

Never start negotiations with a processor by focusing on rates and fees. The first step to lower processing costs is to negotiate a favorable pricing model. Interchange Pass Thru is the most competitive form of pricing, and it’s the one you want to secure. 1 Quest Payment uses this pricing model for all of our clients.

Negotiate the Rate Second

Once pass through pricing has been secured, focus on negotiating rates and fees, keeping in mind the most important rate is the Effective Rate. The effective rate is one number that represents the amount of processing volume paid in fees. For example, a business that pays $50 in fees in a month when it processed $1,000 in credit card sales has an effective rate of 2.00%.

Focusing on the effective rate ensures that you are negotiating for total cost, not an individual rate or fee.
1 Quest Payment will provide you with a free detailed cost analysis that breaks down each of your current rates, fees and costs and compares them to our rates, fees, and costs. Most importantly, we inform you what your current effective rate is and how much it will be reduced by switching to our services. When you see the savings we can offer, you can decide what your best option for payment processing is.

1Quest Payment’s mission is to help as many merchants as possible find the best credit card processing solution so they can focus their time and energy on growing their business. Contact Donnie today, call 1.800.413.7573 or use our contact form

Testimonials

"They have the best pricing and have saved us tons of money over the past 2 years from what the bank was charging us. Donnie personally provided us with a state of the art brand new terminal with no rental or lease fees. If we need him he is just a phone call away and his 24/7 tech support line is available within seconds if we ever need them. I can't recommend him enough and if you have any questions feel free to call me directly." Kelvin Noel